Oakland Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor (6) throws a pass during the first quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium last Sunday. / Jeremy Brevard, USA TODAY Sports

by USA TODAY Sports staff and wire report, USA TODAY

by USA TODAY Sports staff and wire report, USA TODAY

Oakland Raiders coach Dennis Allen has made his decision: Third-string quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who hasn't started a game in his two seasons in the NFL, will start the team's meaningless final game Sunday against the Chargers in San Diego.

Allen had said during the week that Pryor and backup Matt Leinart could both play.

"I've decided to go with Terrelle Pryor as our quarterback,'' Allen told reporters after practice Friday. "He'll play in the game and we'll see how the game goes. He's the starter, and we're going to go into it as we would any other game.''

Leinart and Pryor have shared reps in practice with Oakland's first-team offense after starter Carson Palmer went out with cracked ribs and a bruised lung after being hit from behind Sunday by Carolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy.

The Raiders are 4-11.

"I wanted to see how each player responded,'' Allen said. "I thought Terrelle responded well. I think he gives us a unique element of athleticism at the quarterback position and I think he deserves to get an opportunity to get out there and see what he can do.

"I'm anxious to see him play. I want to see him get out there and relax, play the game of football the way it's supposed to be played. I want to see him take command of the huddle. I want to see us get in and out of the huddle and the operation be smooth. I want to see him protect the football, make sure he makes good decisions.''

Both quarterbacks played in last week's loss to Carolina after Palmer was hurt, though Pryor was in for only a handful of plays. Leinart completed 16 of 32 for 115 yards. He also threw a momentum-shifting interception just before halftime.

Palmer had started 24 consecutive games for Oakland after being acquired in a midseason trade with Cincinnati in 2011.

Leinart has started just two games since 2007 while Pryor has never started in his two NFL seasons. While Leinart -- the 10th overall pick in 2006 -- has more experience than Pryor, Allen noted the Raiders offense would be limited in some capacity no matter who started.

''I don't think you're going to be the same with either quarterback as you would with Carson because Carson's been getting all the reps and he has the full command of the offense,'' Allen said. ''So, yeah, I would think we'd be scaled back a little bit with either one of those quarterbacks.''

Allen said after the loss to Carolina that Leinart would remain ahead of Pryor on the depth chart, but changed his mind after reviewing film and he decided to keep the competition open.

''We got a chance to see what Matt could do and we might need to see a little bit more of Terrelle,'' Allen said. ''They're two totally different quarterbacks. Terrelle obviously is an athletic quarterback that can really do some things on the move. Matt's a little bit more your prototypical pocket passer. So when you look at those guys you've got to take into account those skill sets and what they do well.''